Category: babies

No booties this time

This last week we went up to see our daughter when they had the new baby baptized. Our granddaughter wore the same baptismal gown that her brother had worn but not the booties he did. Her brother was several months old when he was baptized so I had to make the booties to fit him. I also didn’t think to make her a pair – where was my mind for the last 6 months?? – so I decided to do something a little less complicated. I decorated some socks.

Even this simple little motif gave me fits. First, I used size 80 thread, DMC # 604, which I rarely even try to tat with. Second, I was tatting these in the car then trying to finish them off in the hotel room. They ended up taking more time than I want to admit. They also don’t quite have the same stitch count – I finished one kind of late and made the second one kind of early the next morning. After I’d almost finished I realized I had changed it up a bit. And, you know what? I just left them that way. My husband and daughter looked at them and couldn’t tell the difference. Besides, with the baby wearing her long baptismal gown you couldn’t see the socks anyway. So someday, if the socks survive very long, someone will look at them and maybe notice that Grandma didn’t know how to count – and I’m okay with that 🙂

I then proceeded to decorate a second pair of socks (the socks came on a card containing two pair) almost but not quite the same. I didn’t add any decorative picots to these. I figure these might be worn a couple of times and picots don’t always look so good after washing without a little help. These actually came out looking pretty good – and they do have the same stitch count – though I made them while distracted by the new born and a two-year-old. And I have never claimed to be good with a sewing needle: they are attached in a manner that they shouldn’t come off even if it’s not pretty 😛 I used DMC size 80 again in #107.

Babies are a grandparents’ best reward

We bring them home and spoil them

Then return them to their parents

And leave them to their mayhem

Wanda

This weekend I drank a lot of iced tea, though today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I returned to hot tea. There’s just something about having a hot cuppa first thing in the morning that I like better than having a cold glass. Of course, it’s not summer yet!

For those here in the USA, I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Weekend. We flew our tattered American flag in wind that almost tore it off the pole but didn’t make it to the cemeteries. That had been on my agenda, but with the visit to the grandchildren we didn’t make it. We drove by a few cemeteries decorated with flags and flowers, very beautiful, and in church we recognized those that had been in the military, giving us a chance to say “Thank you for your service”
Though I’m a day late, I’d like to say “thank you” to all of you out there for your service to your country, and to me and my family. Your are greatly appreciated. Though this was written several years ago I wanted to share this poem with you.
Memorial Day 2007

Decorated shoes

My nephew is the proud daddy of a new baby girl. Today we had a baby shower for her, which is nice that we all got to see the new baby. These are the shoes I decorated for her. The one on the right is what they looked like when I bought them. The other, is of course, what they looked like when I was done.

Which do you think looks better?

Both of my daughters and their babies were there and helped me host the shower. It was a very nice day, lots of conversation and all the babies got passed around. We had it at the local activity center so some husbands came along and were able to play pool and socialize as well.

My husband had to go to work before it was over (I would have, too, except I made arrangements for someone to work for me!) so our daughters, the babies and I had a great afternoon together and then supper out. My oldest had to leave a little quicker than planned because the weather started getting bad. Nothing severe but she – nor I – wanted her to drive in it.

For my next project I’m looking for a nice bookmark pattern. InTatters is having a bookmark exchange in May. I have never done an exchange before, but I think I can handle a bookmark. And then there is the thread choice, maybe harder than the pattern, because of course it has to be just right for the pattern. But that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?